Warren's 27 points lead North Crowley to Class 5A title, 73-67

Published 6:00 pm, Friday, March 7, 2008

Willie Warren was already an All-American. His fourth-quarter performance in the Class 5A final will make him unforgettable at the Texas state tournament.

Warren scored 27 points, 15 in the fourth quarter, leading North Crowley to the Class 5A championship with a 73-67 win over Fort Bend Dulles on Saturday night.

Warren's game was about more than points. It was about clutch play, shooting and passing as the McDonald's All-American dished eight assists, including one that set up a crucial 3-pointer.

And it was about one spectacular dunk in the final minute that will go down as one of the best in tournament history.

North Crowley led 68-64 when Warren, who has signed with Oklahoma, slipped behind the defense on an inbounds play and TJ Franklin launched the perfect pass to catch him stride. With the catch and a dribble, Warren launched for a thunderous tomahawk dunk that brought the crowd to its feet.

Dulles' Shaun Umeh, who drew the matchup of guarding Warren, nearly matched him with 26 points, nine rebounds and six steals in a thrilling 1-on-1 matchup.

But there was no stopping Warren when he got rolling in the back-and-forth fourth quarter.

Quiet for much of the game, Warren immediately went to work, hitting a driving layup, then stripping Umeh clean for another. After Umeh stole the ball for a 2-point Dulles lead, Warren followed it by hitting another deep 3-pointer at the top of the arc _ over Umeh.

Another Warren basket gave North Crowley a 63-62 lead. The next trip up the court, Warren drove all the way to the basket before rifling a baseball pass out to Lamar Brown, who stood by himself and calmly swished the 3-pointer for a 66-62 lead with 1:32 to play.